Diana, Princess of Wales was set to star in sequel to The Bodyguard with Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner has confirmed that the late Diana, Princess of Wales had been set to star alongside him in a sequel to The Bodyguard.

He told PeopleTV, “The studio liked the idea of doing a Bodyguard 2,” with Diana taking on a role “in the same kind of capacity as Whitney. Nobody really knew that for about a year.” The plot would have involved Costner’s character protecting Diana’s character from paparazzi and stalkers before the relationship turned romantic. The first script was delivered to him the day before Diana was killed in a crash on 31 August 1997.

Kevin Coster also recalled that he and Diana had discussed their roles and the possibility of intimate scenes. “I just remember her being incredibly sweet on the phone, and she asked the question, ‘Are we going to have, like a kissing scene?’” Costner recalled. “She said it in a very respectful … she was a little nervous because her life was very governed. And I said, ‘Yeah, there’s going to be a little bit of that, but we can make that OK too.’”

He said that talks for the film had been initiated by Sarah, Duchess of York. “Sarah was really important,” he said. “I always respect Sarah because she’s the one that set up the conversation between me and Diana. And she never said, ‘Well, what about me? I’m a princess too.’ She was just so supportive of the idea.”